


To Be With You

by miss_murder



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Eloping, F/M, Forced Marriage, Poor Rhys, Running Away, royalty and peasant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-19
Updated: 2014-12-19
Packaged: 2018-03-02 06:45:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2803277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_murder/pseuds/miss_murder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Princess Lacey is being forced by her father to marry Prince Gaston, but she's really in love with the town spinner, Rhys. She has to choose between a life as a princess and a life with her true love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Be With You

The castle was dark and cold at night, but that wouldn’t stop Lacey. She slipped her feet into soft leather slippers and wrapped a dark cloak around her shoulders. There was no moon that night, so she crept into the hall with only a small lantern to light her way. The princess stole silently through the castle and out to the gardens, her steps hardly making a sound as she moved. Even in the dark, the paths to an unseen corner of the gardens were familiar, almost carved into her memory. She rounded a wall of rosebushes, and there he was. Tall and dignified and waiting for her. Her Rhys.

She’d met the man by accident, when she’d been out riding and her horse had bolted, frightened by a snake, right through the meadow behind Rhys’s cottage. The man had seen and run out to stop the horse, succeeding but not before his foot had been crushed by its hoof. Even though Lacey had begged for him to let her help, he refused to let her pay for a doctor and now permanently walked with a limp. Now, she thought it added to his charm. And even though the spinner was several years older than the princess, they’d fallen in love quickly. But such a relationship was forbidden - peasant with royalty - so the couple could only meet under the merciful cover of night. What an odd couple they were…

Lacey smiled when Rhys turned and saw her, and she lowered the hood of her cloak to let dark, chestnut curls spill over her shoulders. The man pulled her into his arms and kissed her hello, which she eagerly responded to. One arm around his neck and a hand clasped with his, _oh_ , how she wished he would never let her go.

But when they pulled away, Lacey’s eyes were heavy with sorrow. Rhys cupped her cheek with his free hand, thumb stroking her cheekbone. “What is it, dearest?” he murmured in his thick, Scottish brogue that never ceased to send shivers down Lacey’s spine.

The princess sighed and leaned against Rhys’s chest, her cheek pressed against his beating heart, warm and strong and comforting. “It’s awful…” she whispered. “The king… my father is forcing me into a marriage.” She could feel her lover’s pulse start to race and his arms tighten around her. “And he couldn’t have chosen a more horrible match. Prince Gaston is rude and conceited and brainless and… oh, Rhys, what am I to do?” Her voice cracked as her big blue eyes started to fill with tears, which Rhys kissed away as they fell down her ivory cheeks.

“Do not worry, my love,” he crooned soothingly, rubbing her back. “We’ll think of something.”

Lacey hiccuped, burying her face in his chest. Her fingers curled into the rough, homespun cloth of his tunic, just as his wrapped around her hips clad in the finest velvet and silk of her cloak and nightgown. They came from completely opposite worlds, how could they have ever hoped for their love to last?

“If only I wasn’t the princess…” Lacey cried, her words muffled. “Then everything would be so much easier…”

An idea sparked in Rhys’s head. “What if that could be arranged?” Lacey looked up at him, confused.

Rhys tucked a curl behind her ear, a hopeful smile growing on his face. “We could run,” he explained. “I could take you far, far away, where no one will recognize you. We could make a new life, together!”

The idea sounded so perfect, Lacey started to smile. She kissed him, but frowned as another thought crossed her mind. “But… wouldn’t it seem strange to other villagers if we showed up one day together, neither related nor married?”

The spinner didn’t even miss a beat. He held Lacey’s hands to his chest. “Then marry me,” he said confidently. The princess’s eyes widened. “Tomorrow night. I know the town priest will marry us without questions. We can do it, Lacey. We can be together for the rest of our lives.”

Lacey looked at her slippered feet, then at the castle behind her, then at Rhys, then at the mountains looming in the far distance. She’d been born into privilege; it was the only life she’d ever known. Could she really leave it all behind?

Stay in familiarity with her father, but be unhappy.

Leave for the unknown with her true love, and be happy.

Rhys looked at Lacey, and she turned to look up into his eyes. “Yes,” she whispered. “I will marry you. Tomorrow night, and then… then we can leave.”

The spinner let out a joyous laugh, lifting her into his arms and spinning her around. Lacey grinned and kissed him deeply, and they stayed like that for a long, long time.

————-

Lacey paced in her bedroom, watching the horizon and begging the sun to sink just a little faster. She had made the excuse to her father of not feeling well and had pretended to be asleep when he and her lady’s maid came to check on her. But really, she was ready to leave.

Under her simplest, plain blue cloak, she wore a pretty white dress: her wedding dress. A few plain dresses, under clothes, and an extra pair of shoes were tied into a bundle, along with some ribbons for her hair, a winter cloak, a brush and comb, and a necklace left to her by her mother. Everything else would be left behind, except for a wood trunk small enough to be tucked under her arm. It was filled with coins of gold, silver, and copper, plus a handful of jewels that could be used to barter and trade. The extra weight would hinder her escape, but she and Rhys would need the money.

She said she’d meet Rhys at the palace gates at dusk, which couldn’t have come slower. In the meantime, she carefully wrote a letter to her father, explaining that she’d run away because she’d fallen in love with another (unnamed) man, and she’d be safe and happy wherever she went. She sealed it with wax, and left her ring emblazoned with the royal crest next to it. A knot wound tightly in her stomach. She was really doing this. She was both terrified and excited at the same time.

Finally, the sun disappeared below the horizon. the sky darkened to navy blue, run through by purple, pink, and gold. It was time. Lacey smiled and fastened her cloak with a gold broach, gathering her things.

Getting out of the castle was harder at dusk than it was at midnight. Lacey had to duck behind tapestries and around corners every time a servant scuttled by, and once outside there were guards to avoid. But somehow, she managed. And just like he’d promised, Rhys was waiting for her just outside the gates.

Lacey threw herself into Rhys’s arms, kissing him with vigor. Blood and adrenaline pumped through her veins like fire. She felt as though nothing could stop her now. “Let’s go,” she murmured gleefully.

"My cart is waiting outside the church," Rhys muttered, smiling and clasping Lacey’s hand in his. "Are you ready?"

"More so than I’ve ever been."

The couple ran through the quickly darkening streets, following the lights shining through the church’s single stained glass window. The priest was waiting for them at the altar when they skidded in, their feet dusty and their cheeks flushed.

Just the thought of a secret wedding exhilarated the princess, if that was even her title anymore. There was no wedding march, no flowers, no bells to announce the ceremony, and only two elderly nuns were their audience, but it was still perfect to Lacey. Their vows were simple, but heartfelt and unrushed. Rhys made sure to make this special for his young bride. He poured undying love and adoration into every word he spoke. The kiss they shared once pronounced husband and wife could have been their first, the way their hearts soared once their lips touched.

Outside, Lacey put her few belongings in Rhys’s small cart, which had already been loaded with various bundles and crates. _Rhys must have packed up everything he owns_ , she thought. _And I’m leaving so much behind._ But, Lacey didn’t regret it one bit. She was certain that whatever lay in the future for her and her husband would be worth every trial they faced. And she knew their love could overcome anything.

Rhys helped his bride into the cart, sitting next to her on the small wooden bench and picking up the reins. Then, with a click of his tongue, the new couple rolled out of town as it began to go to sleep.

Rhys drove and drove for miles, lighting two small lanterns on either side of the cart. After several hours, Lacey began to yawn, and Rhys wasn’t too far to follow. “Let’s stop for the night, darling,” Lacey said, rubbing one eye. “We’re far enough, we can start again in the morning.”

"Mm… alright." The spinner pulled off to the side of the road and hopped down, unhitching the horse and tying him to the cart with a long rope. He pushed one of the lanterns on its post into the soft earth, then laid down a thick quilt and a few other blankets on the ground. He smiled shyly at Lacey as he helped her down. "I know it’s no feather bed, princess…"

Lacey frowned and shook her head, cutting him off. “Oh, stop that. You know I’ll be happy with anything, as long as I’m with you.” Rhys smiled and pulled her close into a kiss, then they laid down on top of the quilt with the other blankets over them.

Rhys pressed a soft, chaste kiss to the nape of her neck, making Lacey giggle, and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Good night, my sweet wife,” he crooned.

"Good night, my dearest husband," she said before slipping into sleep.

————-

Time passed, or crept, or flew by, depending on the time of year. Rhys and Lacey settled into a home in a village in the mountains, far away from the palace and anyone who would have known her. They agreed, once they started earning money for themselves, not to use the coins from the castle unless there was no choice. Lacey stored the chest under the floorboards and tucked the key between the pages of an old book. Rhys quickly became praised for his fine spinning, and Lacey was quick to learn the domestic tasks she’d never learned as a princess; cooking, cleaning, laundry, mending, even gardening. Rhys often praised her for being ‘the perfect little housewife’.

Their first big trial came once winter when Lacey became very sick. At first, they thought it was simply the flu, or some minor illness brought on by her current pregnancy. But then the fever set in, and the woman was abed for days, too weak to move and crying for her husband though he was never far from her side. Rhys did everything he could to help her, but his knowledge was limited. He finally submitted to sending for a doctor, though the nearest one was two towns away.

So went the first five silver coins from the chest.

Bit it was worth it to see Lacey healthy again. A few months after that, she and Rhys received their first child, a healthy boy they named Baelfire. And they adored him. Their family was at last content.

That had been six years ago. Baelfire grew into a strong boy, hardworking yet timid, always clutching at his mother’s skirts or hiding behind his father’s legs. Rhys had started getting threads of silver in his dark hair when Lacey gave birth again, two weeks after Baelfire turned four, to a set of beautiful twin girls named Belle and Rose.

Now, Rhys sat outside the family’s home with his spinning wheel, working while his children played. Baelfire ran around with some other boys from the village, playing Knights with sticks as swords, and his sisters were captivated with rolling a ball between them.

Lacey came out and bent to kiss Rhys’s cheek, handing him a warm mug of tea to soothe his chilled hands. Rhys took a moment to examine his wife. Gone was her pale skin, now tinted with a healthy golden glow and freckles. Her hands were still slender, but now accustomed to callouses, blisters, cuts, and scrapes. She looked like any other woman in the village in a simple dress of homespun cloth and a long apron, her hair swept into a bun at the nape of her neck and children at her feet. but when Rhys looked into her eyes, he still saw the beautiful princess on a runaway horse. Little things about her might have attested to a more refined upbringing, like the way she carried herself and her well-mannered vernacular. It seemed, though, that only he ever noticed.

"What are you thinking?" Lacey asked quietly, sitting on a low stool next to him.

Rhys smiled and shook his head, turning back to his spinning wheel. “Just… you, my love. how things might have been different if I’d never stopped your horse.”

Lacey placed a hand on his knee. “Well, for one, I’d be married to an awful, selfish man instead of one who knows me and loves me despite everything. I’d still be a princess, maybe even queen by now, but I’d be utterly unhappy. Given the chance to change the past, I wouldn’t.” She laid her head on his leg, watching her children play. would there come a time when she couldn’t hide her past from them anymore? Perhaps. “there’s nothing here that I would ever give up for anything I left behind, Rhys. this is my life now, and I love it. I love our children… and I love you most of all. I’ll always love you.”

He smiled and stroked her cheek with his thumb. “I love you too, dearest. And if it means anything… you’ll always be my queen.”


End file.
